article · Journal of Food Science
Evaluation of fresh produce from retail markets across three provinces in South Korea provides updated baseline data on microbial contamination risks. Testing encompassed 360 packaged and unpackaged fruit and vegetable samples using Korean Food Standards Codex protocols alongside real-time polymerase chain reaction methods. Microbial loads varied widely across aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, and yeast and mould counts. Pathogen screening revealed that Salmonella species were entirely absent from the samples. However, other harmful bacteria were detected, including Listeria monocytogenes in one sample, Escherichia coli O157:H7 in three samples, and Staphylococcus aureus in five samples. Generic Escherichia coli was identified in three lettuce samples. The most prevalent contaminants were Bacillus cereus, detected in just over half of all samples, and Clostridium perfringens, found in over thirteen percent. These findings highlight the need for stricter hygiene controls and preventive strategies in retail supply chains.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are frequently eaten raw, which means microbial contamination poses a direct health hazard to consumers. Identifying the specific bacteria present in retail markets highlights foodborne risks, such as widespread contamination by spore-forming pathogens. These insights help food safety authorities, agricultural producers, and retail distributors recognise hygiene vulnerabilities and prioritise more targeted hygiene interventions to protect public health.
The abstract outlines surveillance and risk assessment data rather than a commercial technology. However, the findings provide an operational evidence base for food retailers, safety regulators, and supply chain operators seeking to refine post-harvest hygiene protocols and audit frameworks. As the work focuses on monitoring contamination levels rather than testing a specific treatment, applied commercial interventions or sanitisation tools derived from these insights remain at an early stage.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of fresh produce at retail level in Korea in order to periodically update information and establish available risks associated with consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. The samples from different markets located in 3 provinces of South Korea were collected. The protocol in the Korean Food Standards Codex was applied and generic Escherichia coli, coliforms, aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), and yeast and mold (YM) in 360 packaged and unpackaged fresh fruits and vegetables were analyzed. Presence of pathogens was examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) after enrichment of samples. For all, the microbial counts ranged from 1.7 to 10.6 log cfu/g for AMB, 2.2 to 7.9 log cfu/g for coliforms, and 5.5 to 7.9 log cfu/g for YM. Three lettuce samples were contaminated by E. coli with a bacterial load ranging from 2 to 4 log cfu/g. Salmonella spp. were not detected in any fresh produce. Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Staphylococcus aureus were found in 1 (0.6%), 3 (0.8%), and 5 (1.4%) fresh produce samples, respectively. Bacillus cereus (50.3%) and Clostridium perfringens (13.3%) had the highest prevalence. These results indicate the need for employing strict control measures and developing preventive strategies to improve the quality and safety of fresh produce in Korea.
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DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.13992
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